The launch intervals for these rockets were half an hour, and there were several launch pads, spread out at considerable distances, preventing any chaotic launch scenarios within such a short timeframe. This half-hour period was primarily for calculating the flight paths and placing satellites into orbit.
After witnessing the launch of two rockets, Su Han finally reached the third launch.
This third rocket was larger in diameter and longer than the previous ones.
The head of rocket launch operations stated, "Deputy Minister Su Han, it's time for this largest rocket to launch. This rocket utilizes more modular operations, which is why assembly takes the longest here. It will carry a massive satellite. This satellite is Dragon Country's super-powerful intelligence satellite, equipped with a propulsion system. Once the location of the evil dragon volcano island is identified, it can propel itself into an orbit capable of monitoring it."
"All units, prepare for launch countdown."
"...10, 9, 8, ...3, 2, 1, ignite!"
More flames erupted than from the previous two rockets.
The rocket ascended into space, leaving a trail of clouds.
On the large screen in front of the launch supervisor, the rocket's ascent path was displayed.
"The rocket has launched. Deputy Minister Su Han, all we need to do now is wait."
Su Han glanced at the images on the surrounding screens, but after several attempts, he couldn't make them out clearly.
"These rockets are truly the pinnacle of human technology. It seems we'll soon be able to find the evil dragons' lair."
The launch supervisor replied, "Of course. If the evil dragons appear and are captured by our satellites, we will undoubtedly find their lair."
The rocket launches continued for two days, concluding late into the night as all the satellites entered their designated orbits in space.
On Planet Blue, this process would have taken significantly longer due to the sheer number of satellites already in orbit, requiring careful navigation to avoid collisions. However, the skies of this magical world offered a clear, uncrowded space, allowing Dragon Country to utilize any orbit freely.
After the satellites were operational, an intelligence operations hall displayed the reactions of magical creatures detected by the satellites on five large screens. Red dots indicated the detected magical creatures.
Any creature large enough to be detected by a satellite while in flight, even those larger than ordinary griffins, would be identified.
Chu Shi sat observing the screens, while staff members continuously monitored the incoming information.
Red dots appeared on the screens, and the staff would then identify the creatures they represented.
Suddenly, a red dot significantly larger than the others appeared in a marine region.
"Large magical creature detected!" a staff member exclaimed.
Chu Shi's gaze shifted to that screen.
The staff member zoomed in on the red dot, revealing the magical creature's true form: a griffin. However, this griffin was considerably larger than an ordinary one, almost twice its size. An ordinary griffin was the size of two horses, while this griffin was the size of three horses.
"It's a large griffin."
"Alas, it's not an evil dragon."
"..."
For seven days and nights, the satellites searched space without detecting any evil dragons. In fact, not even ordinary dragons were found.
Su Han asked, "Are those dragons hiding so well? We've been monitoring the western seas with satellites for so long and haven't found a single evil dragon. Are they simply not appearing?"
Chu Shi replied, "This likely has to do with dragon habits. Our human timescale is measured in days, while dragons might perceive time in months or years. What feels like a long seven days to us might be equivalent to the time it takes to drink a cup of tea for a dragon. That's why we can't find them. It seems we'll need more time to locate the evil dragons."
"More time? Then, during this period, we'll focus on strengthening the base." With nothing else to do, Su Han left, feeling bored.
The grassland next to the portal had transformed into a massive base, combining defensive and offensive capabilities.
Beneath ordinary turf might lie missile silos.
Numerous radar systems were also deployed to scan the surroundings and receive satellite signals.
As Su Han walked, he arrived at the missile storage area.
A team was meticulously cleaning the missiles there.
Su Han inquired, "What are you doing?"
One of the individuals replied, "Deputy Minister Su Han, we are performing maintenance on the missiles."
"Maintenance? Performing maintenance on missiles?"
Su Han was surprised. He hadn't expected a humorous internet anecdote he'd once encountered to be realized here.
Su Han asked, "Maintenance? Are you refurbishing the missiles and the like?"
The same person answered, "Deputy Minister Su Han, it's not refurbishment. We don't have the technology for that. We're simply cleaning the missiles and checking for any small animals around them. If we find any, we remove them, much like those little mice. However, there aren't any mice here like on Planet Blue."
Su Han said, "So you're just cleaning the missiles? By the way, are you the captain here?"
"Yes, Deputy Minister Su Han, I am the captain. My name is Shi Dianhe. And yes, we are just cleaning the missiles. Actually, we can also modify missiles, but we lack the necessary equipment here, so we can only do cleaning."
A sudden idea struck Su Han. He asked, "Captain Shi Dianhe, since this is a magical world, could you engrave magic arrays onto the missiles?"
Shi Dianhe shook his head. "Deputy Minister Su Han, I regret to say we have no knowledge of magic or magical arts. Randomly inscribing magic arrays on missiles would be quite unstable. Moreover, we are dealing with evil dragons, who possess immense magical resistance. The small magic arrays we could create would be ineffective. Ultimately, we would still rely on the missile's explosive power. However, this method is worth researching. Although magic arrays might not be effective against dragons, they could be useful against other threats. Deputy Minister Su Han, if you could find individuals with knowledge of magic, they could join us, and we could commence research."
"I'll go look around then."
Since it wouldn't be effective against dragons, Su Han decided to postpone this research until after the evil dragons were annihilated.